Maria Dominguez was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México. She migrated to the U.S at the age of 4 with her family, and grew up in North Long Beach, California, where she considers home.

Maria is currently pursuing dual degrees in Sociology and Spanish at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2019, Maria traveled alongside 15 other students to Washington, D.C to meet with key stakeholders and advocate for higher education policy and immigration reform. Maria was also a member of the Undocumented Research Cohort, a group of 6 undocumented undergraduate students who conducted research on the experiences of undocumented students at the university. This research was conducted by undocumented students, for undocumented students. The cohort assessed the needs of the students at the Berkeley campus through in-depth interviews and culminated in two published research briefs through Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE). Additionally, the research was presented alongside immigration scholar Roberto Gonzales to approximately 150 attendees.

As a DreamSF Fellow, Maria is placed in the Evaluations Department at Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), where she will assist in research and evaluation of MEDA’s programs. Maria will support two major project areas: evaluation of pandemic recovery programs and development of internal planning activities. She will develop hands-on experience in all aspects of community-based program evaluation, including planning, research, quantitative and qualitative data collection, data analysis, database management, product development, and stakeholder engagement. Maria is excited to be working with the MEDA team, and to develop skills that will prepare her for her future career.

During her free time, Maria enjoys reading (particularly nonfiction and short stories), hiking, and making Spotify playlists.